Project summary This proposal seeks support for the 22nd Gordon Research Conference on Bacterial Cell Surfaces, which will be held June 26-July 1, 2016 at Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, VT. The meeting focuses on the assembly and function of bacterial surfaces from the molecular to intercellular scales. This conference presents a diverse program in topics, model systems, and approaches combining biochemistry, molecular genetics, structural biology, biophysics, cell biology and modeling. There will be 9 sessions on topics related to 1) Bacterial Communities and motility; 2) Cell Division and Morphogenesis; 3) Antibiotics- what works and whats missing; 4) Membrane dynamics; 5) Surface polymers; 6) Peptidoglycan metabolism; 7) Stress responses and signaling; 8) Protein Transport and Secretion; 9) Bacterial Interactions with hosts and surfaces. This conference aims to: 1) present the latest, mostly unpublished, and most exciting research in these areas by bringing together a diverse group of scientists with respect to approaches, expertise, experimental model, seniority and gender; 2) generate new ideas and stimulate intellectual exchange between this diverse group of investigators; and 3) provide opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to present their work in short-talk or poster format and to interact with leaders in the field. For the first time, a Gordon Research Seminar for postdocs and graduate students will precede the meeting, encouraging junior scientists to network and to exchange ideas. The collegial atmosphere at this conference, with ample discussion time in the program, as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, stimulates open scientific discussions and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, contributing to future advances on the fundamental understanding of the Bacterial Cell Surface. Although the science presented is basic in nature, the topics of this multifaceted conference are of practical interest to the biomedical community in the areas of pathogenesis, antibiotic action and resistance, and host-microbe interactions, as many of these phenomena involve processes at the level of membranes, cell walls and cell surface. This conference will thus provide a platform for future developments of vaccine and antibacterial strategies.